Family Mental Health Issues

There are several health issues that the world is currently facing. The most prevalent of these health issues are obesity, cancer, unhealthy housing, access to healthcare, and mental health. Obesity is rising and is a cause of a plethora of health risks including stroke and diabetes. Cancer is a universal disease that poses a threat to health due to unavailability of a cure. Unhealthy housing, common among families and individuals with a low socioeconomic status, often involves neighborhoods where living areas are not up to code, posing several health risks. The poor access to health care enforces the inability to gain proper care and treatment for possible life-threatening diseases. Finally, the variety and range of mental health studies as …show more content…
“Mental illness is considered the product of a complex interaction among biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors” (Satcher 26). Mental illnesses cover a variety of disorders: mood disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, personality disorders, substance use disorders, dementia, attention deficit disorder, and more. The mistreatment of mental health in the present is largely social. Factors such as family relations, social class, gender, sexuality, race, and age all play into the way mental health is. Many features of family life can either protect against, or contribute to, the risk of developing a mental illness (Satcher 27). Low socioeconomic class families are directly correlated to more risks to developing a mental illness. The emphasis put on gender roles and a heteronormative culture can negatively impact the emotional development of an individual. The stereotypes and expectations put on different races can positively or negatively impact psychological development. “The reason behind this arises, in the broadest sense, from history persecution and from present-day struggles with racism and discrimination” (Satcher 29). Many people are afraid to seek help to alleviate their mental illness due to the need to avoid a stigma often associated with being mentally ill. In response with societal stigma, people with mental problems internalize public attitudes and become so embarrassed or ashamed that they often conceal symptoms and fail to seek treatment, lowering access to resources and opportunities, such as housing and employment, and leads to diminished self-esteem and greater isolation and hopelessness (Satcher 29). Mental health is the most prevalent issue that is being faced today because not only is it influenced by genetics, but it’s also influenced by a great extent of environmental factors that are extremely hard to study due